Tag: ads

I’m not completely bothered by the fact that after scrolling through sandals on Nordstrom’s website I immediately find that there is a native ad in my Facebook feed for sandals from Nordstrom. Why? Because it’s relevant to me (albeit a little bit stalker-ish).

But what about today, when I was scrolling through and came across a suggested post by NHTSA (National Highway Traffic Safety Administration) for a post about ending drunk driving? Or a suggested post by StraightFix for their gimmicky hair brush that straightens hair? These suggested posts show up in my feed because I fit their target market. My gender and age probably played the largest role, but other factors such as liked posts and pages, shopping habits and education all play a factor in what ads I see.

Is it worth it? Do these filters on Facebook do a good enough job to reach the right people? Are people even interacting with the ads?

I think the real question is should you still be advertising on Facebook? The answer is YES. But why?

Facebook Advertising is Highly Targeted

The power of a highly targeted campaign means that your brand can reach exactly the kind of customer you want to, limiting the impacts of advertising to a groups who don’t fit your target market.

Facebook allows advertisers to target their audience by:

Location

Demographics

Likes & Interests

Education & Work

Shopping Habits

This narrow and highly targeted info is extremely useful. Not only is it useful, it is also right at your fingertips because of Facebook users’ profiles, which gives you access to all of the things you want to know. Since the information is user generated, it represents a fairly accurate representation of the person, and the validity of the information. When you fill out all of the relevant targeting information, Facebook gives you an estimated reach, meaning the estimated number of people you can advertise to.

As brands and products are increasingly becoming more niche, it becomes equally important to advertise to niche markets, and this means being specific and precise.

For example, did you know that there is a group on Facebook organized and dedicated for women who enjoy planning, decorating their agendas and talking about all things to do with planners? Well guess what, there isn’t just one, there are hundreds. If I were a specialty planner store I would target people in these groups, because they are my niche market for my niche product. Without Facebook it would be hard to narrow in on people who have a passion for planners, but this social network makes it so easy. Again, it is all about the ease of highly targeting that makes Facebook effective for advertising.

Budget Control

Another major benefit of using Facebook as an adverting medium is the ability to tightly control the budget. Facebook automatically chooses efficiency over speed when choosing how to deliver ads within your budget. This means that Facebook is showing your ad set to your target audience, which may not be as fast of a delivery as if it is not shown to your target market. If time is an issue, you can choose an accelerated delivery option, which shows your ads to people similar to your target market of even in your target market, but not as exactly as is possible with more time.

Having a preset budget with a specific target market is a major benefit, in addition to being able to choose how you prioritize your ad delivery.

Real-Time Analytics

As soon as you get your ad campaign rolling you can check your results instantly. There might not be any results to see, depending on the size of your ad campaign, but the ability to see results is there. Facebook has built in features to customize your results data, making it easy to access exactly what you want to know, when you want to know it. This feature is especially helpful for small businesses who may not have the extended resources to analyze their advertising campaigns.

Bonus Feature: A/B Testing

Another analytics tool that is useful is A/B testing on Facebook ads. This method of testing is useful for other things such as website landing pages and online promotional offers. A/B testing on Facebook pages allows you to show different versions of your ad copy, allowing you to see what works better with your target audience. Read more about Facebook A/B testing here.

Key Takeaways

Facebook isn’t a new social media medium by any means, but it is so widely used that it is still relevant. Companies should care about reaching their target market on Facebook. With many benefits of advertising on Facebook, it is easy for large and small companies to utilize the ad features. Have you used Facebook advertising? Leave me a comment below with your experiences, and any tips you have for advertising on Facebook. You can also Tweet me @akannakeefe with the hashtag #MyMktgStory.

As promised last week here is the second installment of why I love marketing. In my last blog post, click here if you haven’t read it, I talked about the first reason I like marketing. The first thing I like is that it is data-driven. For me the data-driven aspect is important because it gives all the work marketers do some solid ground to stand on. On the flip side are some more intangible aspects of marketing that I love, which include the ability to be creative and personal.

Why I love marketing:

Data-driven.

Creative.

Personal

So, What’s The Deal With Creativity?

As I start thinking about all of the things that go into the marketing work that I do it isn’t all glamorous. Most of the hard work is crunching numbers, brainstorming ideas countless times, researching your market, industry, and consumer, staying in budget, and getting your idea to be supported by the data. These are all important aspects that must be accomplished in order for the creativity to happen.

The final product of a kick-ass marketing campaign relies on all aspects working together. It is like a three-legged stool; without one aspect it won’t work, all must be present.

Creativity Connects & Inspires

I love the creative aspect of marketing because it allows all the hard work you’ve done behind the scenes to come out and shine. It has the chance to connect with consumers, make an impression, and be memorable. Think about some of your favorite commercials, what made them so special? For me, a standout piece of marketing work involves a presentation that connects things I haven’t thought of or is innovative and exciting. Creativity is memorable. Creativity is powerful. Creativity can drive the message home.

Let’s Get Personal

Marketing has the ability to tell a brand story – to connect and influence. Marketing can also reach an emotional truth that speaks to the brand story and to the consumers own experiences.

Marketing gets personal, and when a company allows marketing to do just that it can be a huge advantage.

Personal Touches

A great example of this is birthday promotions. It was recently my birthday and during the few weeks leading up to it I had gotten several emails personally addressed to me, wishing me a happy birthday and offering some kind of promotion. This personal touch, made possible via databases (check out my previous article about data and marketing), made me happy. These companies remembered, or rather programmed, my birthday! They wanted to celebrate with me, and that is the personal touch that matters.

Having marketing that feels personal doesn’t have to be directed at a single person, it can be broader, such as targeting a niche and filling their needs and wants, essentially speaking to an emotional truth that the group may collectively feel.

Key Takeaways

I love marketing because it has power to shape consumers and the way we think about certain products, services, and ideas. The creativity behind marketing allows us to see things in a new way, and can influence the work we continue to see for years to come. The other major influence on why I love marketing is that it is personal. Being personal in a world where we are seemingly connected all of the time yet distanced by technology is the bridge between being seen and being remembered. Get personal with your audience – make your time count.

About Me

I am a marketing graduate from the University of
Northern Colorado. Marketing isn't just my discipline, it is my passion. My passion for marketing is telling the story of a brand, it’s helping to serve the community, and it’s finding the sweet spot at the intersection of data and creativity.